COACHING STAFF

Eric Dorton | Assistant Baseball Coach

Eric Dorton is currently in his second season at Cloud County as the top assistant baseball coach. Dorton will again serve as the teams hitting coach, base-running coach, and will work with the teams outfielders while assisting in the teams recruiting efforts.

2017 marked a record breaking season for the T-Birds, The 28 wins in 2017 were the most in a season since 2009, while the playoff victory marked the first Region VI playoff win for the program since 2006. Offensively, the T-Birds finished with a .304 batting average, which was the 10th best mark in school history. As a unit, the T-Bird offense set or tied 16 school records in 2017, including: at-bats in a season with 1,835, single season hits record with 557, singles record with 393, doubles in a season with 110, and HBP’s in a season with 99.

Dorton previously worked at Tarleton as an assistant baseball coach, where he served as the team’s outfield coach, base-running coach, and also assisted in the development of the hitters.

Having spent the previous two seasons of his coaching career at West Texas A&M, Dorton was an instrumental part of WT’s record-breaking season in 2015. He served as the teams outfield coach, handled the teams base-running philosophies, and assisted with the hitters, helping guide the program to its first ever conference championship and its second regional appearance in school history. Dorton helped guide all three of his outfielders to all-conference awards, including two first-team selections - Josh Day and Ryan March – and one second-team selection, Matt Cole. Day and Cole also received all-region honors.

Prior to 2015, Dorton was a volunteer assistant coach for WT in 2013, where he worked with the team’s outfielders, and also handled the team’s base-running.

Dorton has been very active in summer leagues at both the high school and collegiate level over the past few years. In 2013 and 2014, Dorton coached for Amarillo Baseball Academy in Amarillo, TX. There, he guided an 18u team to a pastime tournament national championship. Every player on the roster signed to play collegiate baseball, with four moving on to play professional baseball, including: Blaine Prescott (Texas Rangers), Carson Crites (Minnesota Twins), Addison Russ (Philadelphia Phillies), and Ryan Sluder (Southern Illinois Minors). In the summers of 2015, 2016, and 2017, Dorton coached for the Swift Current Indians/57s in the WMBL (Canada). In his three seasons, Swift Current has won two league titles, winning back-to-back in 2016 and 2017. Both championship teams finished as the 15th ranked summer team around the nation. As the hitting coach, Dorton helped guide the 2017 team to the league lead in both homeruns and stolen bases.

Before beginning his coaching career, Dorton played his final two years at West Texas A&M University for head coach Matt Vanderburg. There, he earned all-region and all-conference honors as a center fielder. He was also named to the LSC All-Academic Team, and was named a 2011-12 Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

Prior to WT, Dorton attended and graduated from Lamar Community College in 2010, playing for head coach Scott Crampton. At Lamar, he helped lead his team to a conference title and a regional tournament berth. Dorton received first team all-region, first team all-conference, and was also selected as an academic all-American as the Lopes finished 48-12, falling one game short of the Junior College World Series.

Originally from Alamogordo, New Mexico, Dorton earned first-team all-state honors and was ranked the No. 1 player in New Mexico coming out of high school. Dorton was also ranked the 319th (56th Outfielder) player nationally in 2008. He attended the University of New Mexico out of high school in the fall of 2008 before transferring to Eastern Arizona in the spring of 2009.

Dorton received his B.S. in sports and exercise science from West Texas A&M University, and his MBA from Columbia Southern University.

Kody Sindelar | Assistant Baseball Coach

Kody Sindelar will begin his second season as an Assistant Baseball Coach at Cloud County Community College. Sindelar works primarily with the Thunderbird pitching staff. Using his background in strength and conditioning, Sindelar also heads the Thunderbird Baseball Strength Program.

Sindelar is an alumni of Cloud County. He began his playing career as a T-Bird in 2002 and finished in 2004. While at Cloud, he played one season for Head Coach Greg Brummett.

From Cloud he transferred to Fort Hays State University. For two years at Fort Hays, Sindelar was a member of the FHSU Baseball program, helping them earn an NCAA regional bid in 2005.

After his playing career, Sindelar was a Strength and Conditioning Coach for the Tampa Bay Rays Organization for the 2007 and 2008 seasons. In August of 2008 he accepted a volunteer coaching position for Head Coach Bryan Conger at Tarleton State University where Sindelar worked with the infielders and assisted with hitting.

In 2009, Kody moved back Nebraska and was the Pitching Coach for Grand Island Home Federal Legion from 2010-2015.

Sindelar is a graduate of Fort Hays State University and earned a bachelor's degree in Health and Human Performance in 2007.

TJ Segebart | Assistant Baseball Coach

TJ Segebart is in his first season as an Assistant Coach at Cloud County Community College. He will serve as First Base Coach and work specifically with the T-Birds' catchers, while assisting with hitting, pitchers and in recruitment.

Segebart comes to Concordia after spending the past three years working at Hard Knocls Athletic Training, where he provided lessons in hitting, pitching and fielding. He also worked as the pitching coach for the Topeka Golden Giants during the summer of 2017, helping them to a 22-13-1 record and a Mid Plains League championship.

The native of Council Grove, Kansas played collegiately at Butler Community College from 2013-14, and earned his Associate's Degree in Liberal Arts, before an arm injury ended his playing career. He went on to receive his bachelor's degree in Social Sciences with an emphasis in Psychology from Kansas State University.

In high school, Segebart was a three-time First-Team All-League and two-time First-Team All-State pitcheer. He earned 2011 3A Pitcher of the Year honors and was a Second-Team Small School All-American. Segebart is a member of the Kansas High School Hall of Fame for most no hitters (3) and perfect games (2) in a season and career.